This article summarises Ebrahim's career.
Monday, January 31, 2011
An encapsulation of South Africa's lost opportunities
In 1975/76 a team called the International Wanderers toured South Africa. Star-crossed fans like me flocked to the grounds to see our best take on Ian Chappell, Jeff Hurst, Dennis Lillee, Max Walker, Gary Gilmour and more. The series, as I recall, was drawn 1-1. It was permitted on the basis that our selectors included "non-white" players, and we saw Howie Bergins, Pinkie Carelse, Sedick Barnes and Baboo Ebrahim play. All acquitted themselves well, but none more so than Ebrahim, who bowled South Africa to victory. For international-starved cricket lovers, it was as close to the real deal as we could get, and it showed what some of the players could have achieved had they been permitted.
This article summarises Ebrahim's career.
http://bit.ly/hrRkYN
This article summarises Ebrahim's career.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
This sign photographed while cycling out east of Pretoria
Not the prettiest language, but I can confirm there was no dumping when I cycled along this hot, steep, endlessly uphill road. I did it several times a year, and never saw any dumping. We may want to consider a similar approach in Linbro Park.
Flashback to Morgans Bay 2007
Remarkable event I managed to capture: sea snails devouring a locust just above the tideline.
Another West Coast pic for Ms Demeanour and Steff Dembo
This a May 2007 honeymoon sunset at Lamberts Bay
Saturday, January 29, 2011
End of one of the ultimate broadcasting legends
Fanus Rautenbach has died at the age of 82. I grew up knowing him to be the naughtiest of broadcasters in an era when conformity was the norm.
http://www.rapport.co.za/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Fanus-van-Afrikaanse-radio-se-stem-is-stil-20110129
http://www.rapport.co.za/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Fanus-van-Afrikaanse-radio-se-stem-is-stil-20110129
Friday, January 28, 2011
Sir Geoffrey on Dale Steyn ... harrumph!
AR: It's now time for the question that you've picked as the best one that's come in for you, and it's from Amir Mir from the UK. He says that Dale Steyn produced yet another master-class performance against India. Looking at Steyn's career would you, at this moment in time, call him a great? If so, where would you rank him among the greats such as Malcolm Marshall, Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath?
GB: You are kidding me! He is not in the same category yet. He is a very good bowler, and in my opinion, he has been the best seamer in the world for a couple of years now. He is brisk enough to be awkward, he has enough pace with his outswing and out-seamers to the right-handers, which nearly always are the best wicket-taking deliveries to the right-handers because you have no pad for a second line of defence. He bowls the nip-backer when he needs to, to keep the batsman honest. He bowls a wonderful line around the off stump like McGrath or Richard Hadlee, and is devastating to the right-handers. But he has not done enough yet to be in the class of the guys you have mentioned. They did it for years and years and got huge amounts of wickets and many match-winning performances. He has time on his side. He is young and good enough and all he has to do is stay fit. That is the key to the greats: the longevity of their careers and their match-winning performances.
GB: You are kidding me! He is not in the same category yet. He is a very good bowler, and in my opinion, he has been the best seamer in the world for a couple of years now. He is brisk enough to be awkward, he has enough pace with his outswing and out-seamers to the right-handers, which nearly always are the best wicket-taking deliveries to the right-handers because you have no pad for a second line of defence. He bowls the nip-backer when he needs to, to keep the batsman honest. He bowls a wonderful line around the off stump like McGrath or Richard Hadlee, and is devastating to the right-handers. But he has not done enough yet to be in the class of the guys you have mentioned. They did it for years and years and got huge amounts of wickets and many match-winning performances. He has time on his side. He is young and good enough and all he has to do is stay fit. That is the key to the greats: the longevity of their careers and their match-winning performances.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Rob Steen calls it 100% regarding Kallis
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/498367.html
A question of greatness
Defining it is no easy task, since greatness can be reliant on time, place, context and memory. But it's time to acknowledge that Kallis has earned the mantle
A question of greatness
Defining it is no easy task, since greatness can be reliant on time, place, context and memory. But it's time to acknowledge that Kallis has earned the mantle
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Harking back to Lamberts Bay
On honeymoon, Karen and I visited the sadly depleted gannet colony in Lamberts Bay. Great pic opportunities, still.
This piece assesses Oz's downfall and how we can prevent going the same way
http://bit.ly/ebtsgj
Proteas can learn from fall of play Down Under
Dec 9, 2010 1:23 AM | By FRANK HEYDENRYCH
By every empirical measure, Australia have collapsed as a cricketing power. No1 for decades, they are now No5 and heading for No6 in the world rankings.
South Africans must reflect on the lessons England and Australia have learned. Here are five lessons South African cricket should heed:
* South Africa needs a strong and competitive domestic infrastructure. Australia's has collapsed. It used to be the feeder of the great Australian team, and grade cricket was the feeder for state cricket. Both are fading, a consequence of lifestyle change and competition from other sports.
* Your A team is a benchmark for future strength. Time was when our selectors played around with the A team, picking players who were not on the next taxi out of the rank. The A team is serious stuff. A decade or so ago the Aussie A team was as potent as the Test team. "World" series featured Australia, Australia A and England, and the final was always between the two local teams. A South African A team could feature Jacques Rudolph, Dean Elgar, Andrew Puttick, JP Duminy, Ethy Mbhalati and the like. Is the South African A team strong enough? More importantly, how does the B team look? The Test team is only as good as the pressure it faces from the next XI in line.
* Fire selectors if they are incompetent. There's no doubt Andrew Hilditch and his Australian selection committee are the least competent in the world. There is also no doubt that Geoff Miller has created a settled, dependable and predictable selectorial environment in England's selection committee.
* Plan and plan again, with the right coach and captain in place. England had their Test team settled in July. Australia had theirs settled the day before the first Test. Andrew Strauss programmed Mitchell Johnson's bowling into a new-generation bowling machine and faced it for four months.
* Build succession into the system. Ricky Ponting is out of form, strategically, and tactically inept, and presiding over the worst deterioration of any Australian team. But there is no one to replace the hapless 35-year-old, just as there is no one to replace Simon Katich, whose career ended this weekend.
Can anyone fix Ponting's shambles, and can South Africa ensure it does not go down the same road?
Proteas can learn from fall of play Down Under
Dec 9, 2010 1:23 AM | By FRANK HEYDENRYCH
By every empirical measure, Australia have collapsed as a cricketing power. No1 for decades, they are now No5 and heading for No6 in the world rankings.
South Africans must reflect on the lessons England and Australia have learned. Here are five lessons South African cricket should heed:
* South Africa needs a strong and competitive domestic infrastructure. Australia's has collapsed. It used to be the feeder of the great Australian team, and grade cricket was the feeder for state cricket. Both are fading, a consequence of lifestyle change and competition from other sports.
* Your A team is a benchmark for future strength. Time was when our selectors played around with the A team, picking players who were not on the next taxi out of the rank. The A team is serious stuff. A decade or so ago the Aussie A team was as potent as the Test team. "World" series featured Australia, Australia A and England, and the final was always between the two local teams. A South African A team could feature Jacques Rudolph, Dean Elgar, Andrew Puttick, JP Duminy, Ethy Mbhalati and the like. Is the South African A team strong enough? More importantly, how does the B team look? The Test team is only as good as the pressure it faces from the next XI in line.
* Fire selectors if they are incompetent. There's no doubt Andrew Hilditch and his Australian selection committee are the least competent in the world. There is also no doubt that Geoff Miller has created a settled, dependable and predictable selectorial environment in England's selection committee.
* Plan and plan again, with the right coach and captain in place. England had their Test team settled in July. Australia had theirs settled the day before the first Test. Andrew Strauss programmed Mitchell Johnson's bowling into a new-generation bowling machine and faced it for four months.
* Build succession into the system. Ricky Ponting is out of form, strategically, and tactically inept, and presiding over the worst deterioration of any Australian team. But there is no one to replace the hapless 35-year-old, just as there is no one to replace Simon Katich, whose career ended this weekend.
Can anyone fix Ponting's shambles, and can South Africa ensure it does not go down the same road?
One heck of a carbon footprint to fight climate change
http://bit.ly/ehxJpT
You have to admire the climate change dogooders who will descend on Durban at the end of this year, all 10 000 of them.
Last year Cancun, this year, Durban. Gee, how they suffer for their conscience.
We have some idea of what kind of carbon footprint this conference will generate, given what happened in Cancun last year.
The estimated carbon footprint for Durban will be 30 000 tonnes. This is the same as a typical Western village of 4 500 people, or 240 000km in a diesel car.
http://bit.ly/eObJGi
http://bit.ly/gx52Tq
Now, let's look at the effectiveness of Cancun and its precursor, Copenhagen, which attracted 45 000 climate changers. The simple fact is that neither conference generated remotely the change that was reported, as countries like India and China which are the greatest polluters will not be bound by climate change resolutions. Their economic growth is much more important to them.
Then, let's look at Durban's eco record, one of the very worst in the world:
• massive greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to SA’s emissions of CO2 per unit of per person GDP being twenty times worse than even the US,
• regular fires, explosions, and devastating oil pipe leaks,
• the world’s highest recorded school asthma rates (Settlers Primary) and a leukemia pandemic,
• extreme capital-intensity in petro-chem production and extreme unemployment in surrounding communities,
• a huge new pipeline to double the oil flow from Durban to Johannesburg (already two children were killed after falling into unprotected trenches), and
• an old airport earmarked for expansion of the petrochemical, auto and shipping industries.
http://www.counterpunch.org/bond11222010.html
Yup, Durban is going to be a lulu!
Durban prepares for climate conference
Jan 26, 2011 1:22 PM | By Sapa
More than 10,000 rooms for visitors have been "blocked" in Durban for the United Nations' Climate Change COP17 conference, to be held in the city at the end of this year, an official said on Wednesday.
Briefing Parliament's environmental affairs portfolio committee, environmental affairs deputy director-general Joanne Yawitch told MPs that the coastal city was ideally suited to cater for the large numbers of foreign dignitaries the international event would attract.
"Durban was identified as the host city largely because it has the biggest [convention] facility in the country... enabling us to hold the conference in one place.
"[The city] has, through its convention bureau, blocked over 10,000 rooms, and the tenders have gone out... in order to appoint someone to manage the accommodation," she said.
The first meeting of a logistics committee would be held early next month, as well as meetings in Durban to discuss "issues related to finance".
A UN delegation was set to visit South Africa in mid-February to discuss "issues related to the logistics" of managing the event.
The legacy of last year's Soccer World Cup "puts us at quite an advantage", Yawitch said.
A lot of work had been done already around setting up broadband infrastructure and facilities for the media.
"This will make the job of the people organising the conference quite a lot easier."
Last year's climate conference, COP16 in Cancun, Mexico, had been used by the Mexicans as an opportunity to "showcase" their country.
It was important South African did the same, she said. A series of stakeholder meeting would be held in this regard.
COP17 will take place in Durban's International Convention Centre from November 28 to December 9.
You have to admire the climate change dogooders who will descend on Durban at the end of this year, all 10 000 of them.
Last year Cancun, this year, Durban. Gee, how they suffer for their conscience.
We have some idea of what kind of carbon footprint this conference will generate, given what happened in Cancun last year.
The estimated carbon footprint for Durban will be 30 000 tonnes. This is the same as a typical Western village of 4 500 people, or 240 000km in a diesel car.
http://bit.ly/eObJGi
http://bit.ly/gx52Tq
Now, let's look at the effectiveness of Cancun and its precursor, Copenhagen, which attracted 45 000 climate changers. The simple fact is that neither conference generated remotely the change that was reported, as countries like India and China which are the greatest polluters will not be bound by climate change resolutions. Their economic growth is much more important to them.
Then, let's look at Durban's eco record, one of the very worst in the world:
• massive greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to SA’s emissions of CO2 per unit of per person GDP being twenty times worse than even the US,
• regular fires, explosions, and devastating oil pipe leaks,
• the world’s highest recorded school asthma rates (Settlers Primary) and a leukemia pandemic,
• extreme capital-intensity in petro-chem production and extreme unemployment in surrounding communities,
• a huge new pipeline to double the oil flow from Durban to Johannesburg (already two children were killed after falling into unprotected trenches), and
• an old airport earmarked for expansion of the petrochemical, auto and shipping industries.
http://www.counterpunch.org/bond11222010.html
Yup, Durban is going to be a lulu!
Durban prepares for climate conference
Jan 26, 2011 1:22 PM | By Sapa
More than 10,000 rooms for visitors have been "blocked" in Durban for the United Nations' Climate Change COP17 conference, to be held in the city at the end of this year, an official said on Wednesday.
Briefing Parliament's environmental affairs portfolio committee, environmental affairs deputy director-general Joanne Yawitch told MPs that the coastal city was ideally suited to cater for the large numbers of foreign dignitaries the international event would attract.
"Durban was identified as the host city largely because it has the biggest [convention] facility in the country... enabling us to hold the conference in one place.
"[The city] has, through its convention bureau, blocked over 10,000 rooms, and the tenders have gone out... in order to appoint someone to manage the accommodation," she said.
The first meeting of a logistics committee would be held early next month, as well as meetings in Durban to discuss "issues related to finance".
A UN delegation was set to visit South Africa in mid-February to discuss "issues related to the logistics" of managing the event.
The legacy of last year's Soccer World Cup "puts us at quite an advantage", Yawitch said.
A lot of work had been done already around setting up broadband infrastructure and facilities for the media.
"This will make the job of the people organising the conference quite a lot easier."
Last year's climate conference, COP16 in Cancun, Mexico, had been used by the Mexicans as an opportunity to "showcase" their country.
It was important South African did the same, she said. A series of stakeholder meeting would be held in this regard.
COP17 will take place in Durban's International Convention Centre from November 28 to December 9.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Happy memory of Sutherland
Karen and I were married in Sutherland, a place with which we have a lifelong bond. Given the terrible events of the last fortnight, I thought I'd share a pic harking back to happier times. Context: dawn, I'm up early, there's a windmill-filled dam outside our bedroom. This is the reflection in the dam. 
Do we have free will?
As a young(er) man, I read the entire anthology of Leon Uris. I was struck by how seemingly good people could commit the most terrible acts, and then return to their suburbs as pillars of society. I estimated that of every 100 people I knew, some two thirds would do these terrible deeds. This was corroborated by my time in the army (1976 to 1978). This study confirms what I expected, and shows that of every 500 people in Linbro Park, 390 would be prepared to kill each other. The obvious jokes aside, this is a frightening thought.
This study is chilling, and forms part of a new BBC series. Do keep an eye out for it when it hits our shores, or buy it it at Look & Listen.
Some chilling excerpts: "how easy it is to make ordinary people do terrible things, that 'evil' often happens for the most mundane of reasons."
"Yet Bill, like 65 per cent of the volunteers, gave an apparently lethal electric shock when told to do so."
"humans have a tendency to blindly follow orders, if they are presented in a plausible fashion by someone who is apparently in authority."
"we are 'puppets controlled by the strings of society'."
This is a summary of the BBC programme:
http://bit.ly/gF6s9R
And here's the link to the actual article, and ask yourself: Are you among the two thirds who go with the flow, or the third who don't?
http://ind.pn/ibqRh5
This study is chilling, and forms part of a new BBC series. Do keep an eye out for it when it hits our shores, or buy it it at Look & Listen.
Some chilling excerpts: "how easy it is to make ordinary people do terrible things, that 'evil' often happens for the most mundane of reasons."
"Yet Bill, like 65 per cent of the volunteers, gave an apparently lethal electric shock when told to do so."
"humans have a tendency to blindly follow orders, if they are presented in a plausible fashion by someone who is apparently in authority."
"we are 'puppets controlled by the strings of society'."
This is a summary of the BBC programme:
http://bit.ly/gF6s9R
And here's the link to the actual article, and ask yourself: Are you among the two thirds who go with the flow, or the third who don't?
http://ind.pn/ibqRh5
Freakish weather: while the US and Europe shiver, the Arctic is balmy
I was in Madrid when the temperature was above 45. Surreal ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22
Pic taken in 2005 on a trip to the south of France
St Paul de Vence truly one of the world's greatest places. This pic taken looking out to the sea from a cemetery.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A flashback to 2005 ...
Karen and I went to Cape Town and were walking along Long Beach before breakfast when we came across stable hands exercising their horses in the surf. The Sentinel is to the left. 
Shane Watson of Oz goes home to see the floods
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/watsons-heartbreaking-homecoming-i-never-expected-to-see-that-level-of-devastation-20110122-1a0iq.html
Friday, January 21, 2011
This article published in The Times 18 February 2008
WHAT WOULD A BLACK TEST TEAM LOOK LIKE?
by FRANK HEYDENRYCH
Two notions have clung tenaciously to life in South African cricket,
and both deserve to be euthanased. The one is that black people don't
play cricket; the second is that cricket is not being transformed.
For the purposes of this article, the term "black" will be chosen to
embrace all players who are not white. This is important, as it is
absurd to think of a freckled Herschelle Gibbs as black - just as
Makhaya Ntini is demonstrably black.
I thought I would shoot these two theories full of holes by selecting
a South African Test and ODI team without a single white player.
What this will show is that the momentum towards a black-dominated
cricket playing structure is under way. Much needs to be done still,
but more on that in a moment. For now, here is an "all-black" Test
team:
Herschelle Gibbs, Alviro Petersen, Henry Davids, Hashim Amla, Ashwell
Prince (captain), JP Duminy, Vernon Philander, Thami Tsolekile,
Alfonso Thomas, Makhaya Ntini, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
This team would not disgrace South Africa at all. It would be highly
competitive, and it would have a variety to it currently lacking in
the South African Test team, in that it would have a left-arm pace
bowler in Tsotsobe; vigorous all-rounders in Philander and Thomas; the
leading run-scorer in the country in Davids; a man averaging 50 at
first-class level in Duminy; and an experienced core in Gibbs, Amla
and Prince.
What's as exciting is the South African A team, again chosen only from
"black" players. Look at this lineup and it's perfectly evident that
transformation has taken root:
Goolam Bodi, Loots Bosman, Ahmed Amla (captain), Justin Ontong, Robin
Peterson, Rory Kleinveldt, Athenkosi Dyili (wicketkeeper), Tandi
Tshabalala, Monde Zondeki, Charl Langeveldt, Sinethemba Mjekula
There is no room in either squad for such exciting players as Jonathan
Vandiar, Saidi Mlongo, Ethy Mbhalati, Farhaan Behardien, Imraan Khan,
Yusuf Abdullah, Alan Kruger and many other authentically quality black
players.
Now, to the other issue to which I alluded: schoolboy cricket is awash
with quality black players. Nobody argues this point. But somewhere
between the ages of 17 and 20 these young players disappear. It's
clear what happens: as good cricketers, they are looked after by the
system: kit, accommodation, food, clothing, emotional support. This
typically ends at school leaving age, and so young cricketers are
forced to confront the reality of survival in currently disadvantaged
families.
So they move on, leaving behind what had looked like a promising
cricket career. Deal with this issue, and we'll deal with the mandates
of transformation.
And we can stop making transformation Mickey Arthur's job.
by FRANK HEYDENRYCH
Two notions have clung tenaciously to life in South African cricket,
and both deserve to be euthanased. The one is that black people don't
play cricket; the second is that cricket is not being transformed.
For the purposes of this article, the term "black" will be chosen to
embrace all players who are not white. This is important, as it is
absurd to think of a freckled Herschelle Gibbs as black - just as
Makhaya Ntini is demonstrably black.
I thought I would shoot these two theories full of holes by selecting
a South African Test and ODI team without a single white player.
What this will show is that the momentum towards a black-dominated
cricket playing structure is under way. Much needs to be done still,
but more on that in a moment. For now, here is an "all-black" Test
team:
Herschelle Gibbs, Alviro Petersen, Henry Davids, Hashim Amla, Ashwell
Prince (captain), JP Duminy, Vernon Philander, Thami Tsolekile,
Alfonso Thomas, Makhaya Ntini, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
This team would not disgrace South Africa at all. It would be highly
competitive, and it would have a variety to it currently lacking in
the South African Test team, in that it would have a left-arm pace
bowler in Tsotsobe; vigorous all-rounders in Philander and Thomas; the
leading run-scorer in the country in Davids; a man averaging 50 at
first-class level in Duminy; and an experienced core in Gibbs, Amla
and Prince.
What's as exciting is the South African A team, again chosen only from
"black" players. Look at this lineup and it's perfectly evident that
transformation has taken root:
Goolam Bodi, Loots Bosman, Ahmed Amla (captain), Justin Ontong, Robin
Peterson, Rory Kleinveldt, Athenkosi Dyili (wicketkeeper), Tandi
Tshabalala, Monde Zondeki, Charl Langeveldt, Sinethemba Mjekula
There is no room in either squad for such exciting players as Jonathan
Vandiar, Saidi Mlongo, Ethy Mbhalati, Farhaan Behardien, Imraan Khan,
Yusuf Abdullah, Alan Kruger and many other authentically quality black
players.
Now, to the other issue to which I alluded: schoolboy cricket is awash
with quality black players. Nobody argues this point. But somewhere
between the ages of 17 and 20 these young players disappear. It's
clear what happens: as good cricketers, they are looked after by the
system: kit, accommodation, food, clothing, emotional support. This
typically ends at school leaving age, and so young cricketers are
forced to confront the reality of survival in currently disadvantaged
families.
So they move on, leaving behind what had looked like a promising
cricket career. Deal with this issue, and we'll deal with the mandates
of transformation.
And we can stop making transformation Mickey Arthur's job.
Pat Buchanan calls the US-China spat spot on
http://townhall.com/columnists/PatBuchanan/2011/01/21/how_the_chinese_must_see_us
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Quite the most wonderful piece on Dale Steyn
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/497468.html?CMP=NLC-DLY
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
This article published in The Times 9 December
5 ASHES LESSONS FOR SA
FRANK HEYDENRYCH
By every empirical measure, Australia have collapsed as a cricketing power. No 1 for decades, they are now No 5 and heading for No 6 in the world rankings. There is an element of schadenfraude for us as South Africans in the rapid and seemingly unstoppable decline of cricket Down Under.
But we must pause and reflect on the lessons England and Australia have for us, and our own alarm bells should be ringing. Here are five lessons we should be heeding:
1) We need a strong and competitive domestic infrastructure. Australia’s has collapsed. It used to be the feeder of the great Australian team, and grade cricket in turn was the feeder for state cricket. Both are fading away, a consequence of lifestyle change and competition from other sports.
2) Your A team is a benchmark for future strength. Time was our selectors played around with the A team, picking players who were clearly not the next taxi out of the rank. The A team is deathly serious stuff. A decade or so ago the Aussie A team was as potent as the Test team, with unimaginable riches. “World” series featured Australia, Australia A and England, and the final was always between the two local teams. Our A team would feature Jacques Rudolph, Dean Elgar, Andrew Puttick, JP Duminy, Etty Mbhalati and the like. Is our A team strong enough? More importantly, how does the B team look? The Test team is only as good as the pressure it is facing from the next XI in line.
3) Fire the selectors if they are incompetent. There is no doubt whatsoever that Andrew Hilditch and his team of selectors are the least competent in the world. To choose and not retain any of eight spinners after the retirement of Shane Warne settles that discussion. There is also no doubt that Geoff Miller has created a settled, dependable and predictable selectorial environment in England.
4) Plan, plan and plan again, with the right coach and captain in place. England had their Test team settled in July. Australia had theirs settled the day before the first Test. Andrew Strauss pre-programmed Mitchell Johnson’s bowling into a new-generation bowling machine and faced it for four months.
5) Build succession into your system. Ricky Ponting is out of form, strategically and tactically inept, and presiding over the worst deterioration of any Australian team, ever. But there is no one to replace a hapless 35-year-old, just as there is no one to replace Simon Katich, whose career ended this weekend.
Allan Border inherited Kim Hughes’ mess and through sheer bloody-mindedness turned affairs around. Can anyone fix Ponting’s utter shambles, and can South Africa ensure it does not go down the same road?
FRANK HEYDENRYCH
By every empirical measure, Australia have collapsed as a cricketing power. No 1 for decades, they are now No 5 and heading for No 6 in the world rankings. There is an element of schadenfraude for us as South Africans in the rapid and seemingly unstoppable decline of cricket Down Under.
But we must pause and reflect on the lessons England and Australia have for us, and our own alarm bells should be ringing. Here are five lessons we should be heeding:
1) We need a strong and competitive domestic infrastructure. Australia’s has collapsed. It used to be the feeder of the great Australian team, and grade cricket in turn was the feeder for state cricket. Both are fading away, a consequence of lifestyle change and competition from other sports.
2) Your A team is a benchmark for future strength. Time was our selectors played around with the A team, picking players who were clearly not the next taxi out of the rank. The A team is deathly serious stuff. A decade or so ago the Aussie A team was as potent as the Test team, with unimaginable riches. “World” series featured Australia, Australia A and England, and the final was always between the two local teams. Our A team would feature Jacques Rudolph, Dean Elgar, Andrew Puttick, JP Duminy, Etty Mbhalati and the like. Is our A team strong enough? More importantly, how does the B team look? The Test team is only as good as the pressure it is facing from the next XI in line.
3) Fire the selectors if they are incompetent. There is no doubt whatsoever that Andrew Hilditch and his team of selectors are the least competent in the world. To choose and not retain any of eight spinners after the retirement of Shane Warne settles that discussion. There is also no doubt that Geoff Miller has created a settled, dependable and predictable selectorial environment in England.
4) Plan, plan and plan again, with the right coach and captain in place. England had their Test team settled in July. Australia had theirs settled the day before the first Test. Andrew Strauss pre-programmed Mitchell Johnson’s bowling into a new-generation bowling machine and faced it for four months.
5) Build succession into your system. Ricky Ponting is out of form, strategically and tactically inept, and presiding over the worst deterioration of any Australian team, ever. But there is no one to replace a hapless 35-year-old, just as there is no one to replace Simon Katich, whose career ended this weekend.
Allan Border inherited Kim Hughes’ mess and through sheer bloody-mindedness turned affairs around. Can anyone fix Ponting’s utter shambles, and can South Africa ensure it does not go down the same road?
We do have some very interesting animal life in Linbro Park
And none more interesting than this moth, an oleander hawk moth, which assumes the colour of its surroundings.
And this the other cricket picture that helped shape my total love for cricket
We were banned from international cricket. We could only imagine the greatness of the Test players, who seemed larger than life. Patrick Eagar brought us images of unbelievable brilliance, featuring cricketers, like Rodney Marsh here, catching Tony Greig off Dennis Lillee in 1975. This and the previous photograph appeared in cricket mags of the day, which young men like me devoured. The genius of this picture is how it captures so many moments. See Lillee run off the pitch. See Greig's horizontal bat and how he watches Marsh catch him. See the umpire's garb of the day. Note the person walking across the sightscreen. Note the lack of helmets. And so much more. Photographic art never gets better than this.
One of the greatest cricket pics ever ...
Patrick Eagar has retired. This was one of the pictures he took that inspired me into a life of cricket.
KP IS A SOUTHPAW’S WALKING WICKET
This article appeared in The Times of 23 November
KP IS A SOUTHPAW’S WALKING WICKET
FRANK HEYDENRYCH
Xavier Doherty has yet to play Test cricket, whereas Nathan Hauritz has played 13 Tests, taking 58 wickets at an average of around 32. Yet Doherty has displaced Hauritz ahead of the first Ashes Test starting Thursday at the Gabba for one simple reason: he bowls conventional left-arm spin. Which means he is all but guaranteed Kevin Pietersen’s wicket in both innings, and that means England’s middle order is under pressure.
Andrew Hilditch and his fellow selectors have been pilloried Down Under, but this is a smart move. For more than a year now, KP has not been able to get a run the moment a southpaw bowler comes on. The sequence of dismissals is spectacular, and they cut across all continents, all forms of the game, all quality of bowlers.
He came to South Africa to “find form” and retreated with his tail between his legs, as vulnerable to slow left-arm as he had been in every prior game for the previous 12 months, 20-year-old Dale Deeb among those to claim his wicket. In the most recent game, against Australia A, a part-time leftie dismissed KP, bowled, in a 500-runfest where only KP failed, bowled for 5. In Bangladesh, he fell repeatedly to such luminaries as Shakib Al Hassan, Abdur Razzak and Mehrab Hossain, jnr.
It is well worth looking at any scorecard on Cricinfo, right-clicking the name of the bowler who has dismissed Maritzburg’s most bombastic export, and checking his bowling style, and you’re likely time and again to find it was a slow left-armer – of any kind – who has stuck him.
It is highly instructive that neither batting coach Graham Gooch nor director of cricket Andy Flower can turn this tide of terrible tweaker dismissals.
The Ashes loom, and KP’s arrogance means he won’t correct it. What should he do, if he were to actually listen to anyone? Well, his firm left-footed prod down the wicket and his tendency to play across the line to leg mean he exposes his front or back pad, or reduces the bat-face surface to a ball turning across him. The slower the bowler, the less chance he has of making contact, so he is either LBW or bowled. A return to basics, as Hashim Amla did, would do the trick:
play down the right line, not inside it, get to the pitch, smother the turn, take singles, work the ball around for an hour, play with a straight bat in front of the pad.
Chances are he won’t get this or any advice, he’ll be Doherty’s bunny, and out of the Ashes series by the New Year. And that could be vital to England’s hopes of Ashes success.
KP IS A SOUTHPAW’S WALKING WICKET
FRANK HEYDENRYCH
Xavier Doherty has yet to play Test cricket, whereas Nathan Hauritz has played 13 Tests, taking 58 wickets at an average of around 32. Yet Doherty has displaced Hauritz ahead of the first Ashes Test starting Thursday at the Gabba for one simple reason: he bowls conventional left-arm spin. Which means he is all but guaranteed Kevin Pietersen’s wicket in both innings, and that means England’s middle order is under pressure.
Andrew Hilditch and his fellow selectors have been pilloried Down Under, but this is a smart move. For more than a year now, KP has not been able to get a run the moment a southpaw bowler comes on. The sequence of dismissals is spectacular, and they cut across all continents, all forms of the game, all quality of bowlers.
He came to South Africa to “find form” and retreated with his tail between his legs, as vulnerable to slow left-arm as he had been in every prior game for the previous 12 months, 20-year-old Dale Deeb among those to claim his wicket. In the most recent game, against Australia A, a part-time leftie dismissed KP, bowled, in a 500-runfest where only KP failed, bowled for 5. In Bangladesh, he fell repeatedly to such luminaries as Shakib Al Hassan, Abdur Razzak and Mehrab Hossain, jnr.
It is well worth looking at any scorecard on Cricinfo, right-clicking the name of the bowler who has dismissed Maritzburg’s most bombastic export, and checking his bowling style, and you’re likely time and again to find it was a slow left-armer – of any kind – who has stuck him.
It is highly instructive that neither batting coach Graham Gooch nor director of cricket Andy Flower can turn this tide of terrible tweaker dismissals.
The Ashes loom, and KP’s arrogance means he won’t correct it. What should he do, if he were to actually listen to anyone? Well, his firm left-footed prod down the wicket and his tendency to play across the line to leg mean he exposes his front or back pad, or reduces the bat-face surface to a ball turning across him. The slower the bowler, the less chance he has of making contact, so he is either LBW or bowled. A return to basics, as Hashim Amla did, would do the trick:
play down the right line, not inside it, get to the pitch, smother the turn, take singles, work the ball around for an hour, play with a straight bat in front of the pad.
Chances are he won’t get this or any advice, he’ll be Doherty’s bunny, and out of the Ashes series by the New Year. And that could be vital to England’s hopes of Ashes success.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
LARA AND CO TURN UP THE HEAT IN ZIM
This column appeared on 17 November 2010
LARA AND CO TURN UP THE HEAT IN ZIM
By FRANK HEYDENRYCH
There is a bizarre circus taking place in Zimbabwe, where some ageing and some top current cricketers are combining with the locals to put on a cricket tournament of significant quality. Two years into a semblance of normality, an increasing number of external players are swelling the ranks and power of Zimbabwe's domestic sides.
Right now, on DSTV, and on Cricinfo, you can follow the exploits of some of the great cricketers of all time in something that is playing out as a kind of ZPL, termed the Stanbic Bank 20 Series, at the Harare Sports Club.
Top billing has to go to Brian Lara, who at 41 is still scoring runs.
But just look at the rest of the players who have been tempted to Zimbabwe, which now offers a new destination for them to earn a little extra cash and spend their summers: Lou Vincent, the former New Zealand opener; Chris Harris, the ultimate dibbly dobbly bowler and bits and pieces player; Nick Compton, grandson of the legendary Denis; Ryan ten Doeschate, the highly rated allrounder, born in Port Elizabeth but plying his trade for Essex; Andrew Hall, the one-time Protea; Paul Franks, the one-time England and current Nottinghamshire allrounder; Riki Wessels, son of Kepler, plying his trade for Northamptonshire and rated as a future England wicketkeeper; Neil Carter, the former Boland fast bowler now turned opening batsman; Paul Horton, an Australian-born Lancashire opening batsman; and Lance Klusener.
How good is the cricket? Hugely competitive, with thunderous hitting and high scores. Yesterday saw Southern Rocks score 221 off their 20 overs, with Pakistani Sikander Raza making 93 off 48 balls.
Nick Compton, in an entertaining and insightful blog, shares his
perspectives: "Playing against the great Lara on Saturday was enormous fun. To me, he is the best player I have ever seen and played against and even at 41 he is a force to be reckoned with ... the arrogance, swagger and the way he looks (yes - still looks) at the crease with that notably high backlift are all still trademarks of this legend."
But any thought that Zimbabwe has returned to normality are dashed: he could find no petrol, no one offers change when you make a purchase, and you take your life in your hands when drinking the water, no matter how hot you are.
LARA AND CO TURN UP THE HEAT IN ZIM
By FRANK HEYDENRYCH
There is a bizarre circus taking place in Zimbabwe, where some ageing and some top current cricketers are combining with the locals to put on a cricket tournament of significant quality. Two years into a semblance of normality, an increasing number of external players are swelling the ranks and power of Zimbabwe's domestic sides.
Right now, on DSTV, and on Cricinfo, you can follow the exploits of some of the great cricketers of all time in something that is playing out as a kind of ZPL, termed the Stanbic Bank 20 Series, at the Harare Sports Club.
Top billing has to go to Brian Lara, who at 41 is still scoring runs.
But just look at the rest of the players who have been tempted to Zimbabwe, which now offers a new destination for them to earn a little extra cash and spend their summers: Lou Vincent, the former New Zealand opener; Chris Harris, the ultimate dibbly dobbly bowler and bits and pieces player; Nick Compton, grandson of the legendary Denis; Ryan ten Doeschate, the highly rated allrounder, born in Port Elizabeth but plying his trade for Essex; Andrew Hall, the one-time Protea; Paul Franks, the one-time England and current Nottinghamshire allrounder; Riki Wessels, son of Kepler, plying his trade for Northamptonshire and rated as a future England wicketkeeper; Neil Carter, the former Boland fast bowler now turned opening batsman; Paul Horton, an Australian-born Lancashire opening batsman; and Lance Klusener.
How good is the cricket? Hugely competitive, with thunderous hitting and high scores. Yesterday saw Southern Rocks score 221 off their 20 overs, with Pakistani Sikander Raza making 93 off 48 balls.
Nick Compton, in an entertaining and insightful blog, shares his
perspectives: "Playing against the great Lara on Saturday was enormous fun. To me, he is the best player I have ever seen and played against and even at 41 he is a force to be reckoned with ... the arrogance, swagger and the way he looks (yes - still looks) at the crease with that notably high backlift are all still trademarks of this legend."
But any thought that Zimbabwe has returned to normality are dashed: he could find no petrol, no one offers change when you make a purchase, and you take your life in your hands when drinking the water, no matter how hot you are.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Article to be published in The Times Tuesday
WHAT SA MUST DO TO WIN THE WORLD CUP
By FRANK HEYDENRYCH
At international level, cricket is about marginal moments – those when cricketers produce a magical delivery, take a sensational catch or engineer a runout. These miracle moments seldom relate to batting, which should be a steady, reliable progression to setting or meeting a target.
Instead, the magical, marginal moments occur on the side of bowlers and fielders. (And here, for a moment, let us forget that we were unable to chase down a target of 191 on a ground where we once breezed past 434.)
For South Africa to win the World Cup next month, they need fielders and bowlers who can engineer these magical, peripheral moments.
Unfortunately, all indications are that South Africa have lost that killer ability. And unless they regain it, we will find, again, that one of the most potent one-day outfits ever assembled will choke and be on its way home before the final.
The context of this side is enormous: of the top five batsmen, four are averaging 50 over the last year: Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy. The opening bowlers are widely regarded as the world’s best, and in Lonwabo Tsotsobe they have the best emerging one-day bowler in the world. Johan Botha is unquestionably a fine one-day spinner, and there are a number of young tyros coming through, such as David Miller and Colin Ingram.
But, and this is an enormous but, the fielding of the side is at its lowest ebb since Jonty Rhodes’s heyday, and unless this issue is resolved, South Africa will continue to come down on the wrong side of the hairline decisions.
Consider: The sheer number of dropped catches (five in one innings alone against India in the final Test); the number of missed runouts, or more correctly, the number of actual hits versus misses from close range; and the fumbles on the fence.
Part of the reason is that De Villiers is wicketkeeper. Mark Boucher marshalled his field in an unobtrusive manner. He was the magnet for the field, and he corralled his forces in such a way as to elevate their fielding to a sublime level. Boucher’s genius is seldom acknowledged.
It’s not hard to see why the fielding lapses have happened. Corrie van Zyl is a bowler; Duncan Fletcher is a batting consultant; and the brains trust thought that Boucher’s absence would create a gap for an additional batsman.
To have a chance of winning the World Cup, South Africa need to appoint an emergency fielding coach, such as Rhodes. Boucher needs to return behind the sticks. Duminy must not be at backward point, as he is a liability there and his attention wavers in the most critical position in one-day internationals. And the entire squad needs to understand, and internalise, that 50 overs’ fielding at the highest level of intensity is the only option.
By FRANK HEYDENRYCH
At international level, cricket is about marginal moments – those when cricketers produce a magical delivery, take a sensational catch or engineer a runout. These miracle moments seldom relate to batting, which should be a steady, reliable progression to setting or meeting a target.
Instead, the magical, marginal moments occur on the side of bowlers and fielders. (And here, for a moment, let us forget that we were unable to chase down a target of 191 on a ground where we once breezed past 434.)
For South Africa to win the World Cup next month, they need fielders and bowlers who can engineer these magical, peripheral moments.
Unfortunately, all indications are that South Africa have lost that killer ability. And unless they regain it, we will find, again, that one of the most potent one-day outfits ever assembled will choke and be on its way home before the final.
The context of this side is enormous: of the top five batsmen, four are averaging 50 over the last year: Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy. The opening bowlers are widely regarded as the world’s best, and in Lonwabo Tsotsobe they have the best emerging one-day bowler in the world. Johan Botha is unquestionably a fine one-day spinner, and there are a number of young tyros coming through, such as David Miller and Colin Ingram.
But, and this is an enormous but, the fielding of the side is at its lowest ebb since Jonty Rhodes’s heyday, and unless this issue is resolved, South Africa will continue to come down on the wrong side of the hairline decisions.
Consider: The sheer number of dropped catches (five in one innings alone against India in the final Test); the number of missed runouts, or more correctly, the number of actual hits versus misses from close range; and the fumbles on the fence.
Part of the reason is that De Villiers is wicketkeeper. Mark Boucher marshalled his field in an unobtrusive manner. He was the magnet for the field, and he corralled his forces in such a way as to elevate their fielding to a sublime level. Boucher’s genius is seldom acknowledged.
It’s not hard to see why the fielding lapses have happened. Corrie van Zyl is a bowler; Duncan Fletcher is a batting consultant; and the brains trust thought that Boucher’s absence would create a gap for an additional batsman.
To have a chance of winning the World Cup, South Africa need to appoint an emergency fielding coach, such as Rhodes. Boucher needs to return behind the sticks. Duminy must not be at backward point, as he is a liability there and his attention wavers in the most critical position in one-day internationals. And the entire squad needs to understand, and internalise, that 50 overs’ fielding at the highest level of intensity is the only option.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
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